Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

Club description

The host of 12 New Zealand Opens, Paraparaumu Beach Golf Course has long been regarded by many as the spiritual home of New Zealand Golf. Designed in 1949 by Alex Russell, whose design credits include the world-famous Royal Melbourne golf course, Paraparaumu Beach is considered one of the best links courses in the Southern Hemisphere. Modeled on some of the best links courses of Britain and Ireland, the challenging layout threads its way through magnificent linksland just north of Wellington, and once you’ve experienced it, you’ll understand just why golf played at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Course is golf at its purest.

Signature Holes

The most spectacular and difficult hole is the 13th. This long Par 4 plays across some of the most undulating ground on the property. Difficult holes are not necessarily good holes, but the 13th is an example of a great hole.

The 17th is an alternative fairway hole full of strategic interest. The lower fairway presents an easier tee shot but leaves a long second to a green that sits across the player making it effectively wide but shallow with bunkers short and a severe drop off long. The more difficult route to the higher fairway sets up a long approach to a narrow green with a steep bank to the left waiting to sweep away an errant shot. The diagonal ridge separating the two fairways make the carry longer for those hoping to get within a short iron of the green. Intriguing, alternative strategic decisons, each with their own reward, mark this as one of the finest half dozen holes in Australiasia.